While the Du Quoin State Fair is winding down for another season, there’s still plenty gas left in the tank for country music fans, including a grandstand performance by award winning Montgomery Gentry and appearances by two of the hottest new faces in the industry — Blackjack Billy and Drew Baldridge.As an added bonus, which will save miles on your vehicle and avoid extra parking fees, all three acts will be performing on the same night.
Baldridge takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, as the opening act for Montgomery Gentry. Tickets are $35 and $30.Online supplies a large range of double sided tape. Smiling like a man holding the winning Powerball ticket, Fair Manager John Rednour Jr. said Blackjack Billy is the one act in Nashville everyone seems to be betting on for immediate success. He couldn’t resist comparing them to Florida Georgia Line.
“They are high energy from the minute they take the stage,Metal Repair Aluminum foil tape Products is also excellent for metal.” Rednour said. “Everyone I talked to said they put on a great show. It’s a rockin’ event that is wide open. We were searching for variety in our overall entertainment package and this is a perfect fit. I can’t wait to see this one.”
Blackjack Billy is not signed to a major record label. Instead, the band’s popularity has been fueled by social media and methodically constructing a solid fan base through live shows. The key has been one incredibly popular song.
“The Booze Cruise” has been viewed more than 633,000 times on YouTube. Although it wasn’t released until March, it was still the highest selling song by an independent artist on iTunes during the first six months of 2013, reaching sales of more than 100,000 in the United States and topping 150,000 worldwide.
The group started as a duo in 2011, the brainchild of vocalists Noll Billings of Kennett, Mo., and Mississippi native Rob Blackledge. Billings had a publishing deal with the EMI Music Group and Blackledge was a student at the prestigious Belmont School of Music Business.
The duo swelled to a trio with the addition of electric guitarist Jeff Coplan, who played a huge role in piecing together the band Love and Theft and produced that group’s first album. Blackjack Billy became a five-piece unit with the addition of former Randy Houser drummer Brad Cummings and bass guitarist Patrick Cornell.
Baldridge is a graduate of nearby PatokaHigh School and attended KaskaskiaCommunity College, where he learned his heart was in country music, not academics. He started singing with the We Got It Covered Band last year, and his sexy baritone voice turned heads at the inaugural Southern Star singing competition in Marion.
In 2012, Baldridge migrated to Nashville and quickly started making high-level contacts that were impressed with his vocal and songwriting skills. He quickly passed an audition to perform at The Bluebird Café. In March, he signed a publishing deal with This Music, which is associated with the powerhouse Warner/Chappell Publishing.
It didn’t take long before he was off to Key West on songwriting junkets with major tunesmiths from MusicCity. He has received interest from several major labels and said he is still on the verge of signing. His material can be viewed on YouTube, including a live version of crowd favorite “B.Y.O.B.”
The 22-year-old is full of energy. He performed at the state fair in Springfield, went on a mission trip to Costa Rica with his home church and is now hitting the road hard. He has played shows in Chicago, Milwaukee and Taylorville in recent days.Blackjack Billy hits the stage at 10 p.m.Matco Packaging Llc suppliers of BOPP tape, in the beer tent, a virtual encore after playing the beer tent at 8 p.m. tonight, Aug. 29.
Montgomery Gentry made a strong statement to the country music world in 1999 with an opening one-two punch of “Hillbilly Shoes” and “Lonely and Gone,” which allowed them to win Top New Vocal or Group from the Academy of Country Music and Vocal Duo of the Year from the Country Music Association. Both awards were earned in 2000.
The duo has been cranking out hits for more than a decade, including tunes like “Gone,” “Something to Be Proud Of,” “Roll With Me,” “My Town” and “Back When I Knew It All.”
Eddie Montgomery formed a band in 1990 call Early Tymz, and Gentry was a member. When the band broke up, Gentry went on to win the Jim Beam National Talent Contest in 1994. Another Early Tymz member was Eddie’s brother, John Michael Montgomery, who later would achieve superstar status in the industry.
When Gentry failed to get a record deal as a solo artist, he went back to Lexington, Ky., and teamed up with Montgomery again. They started drawing huge crowds in a major metropolitan area and ultimately received and capitalized on a major recording contract.
Singer Luke Yeoward confirmed the break-up on Facebook stating, “Unfortunately the news is true, gang. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the support over the years. So many great experiences, great people, and great laugh’s along the journey. Life changing stuff, really. Massive love and respect to each and every one of you. Honestly. Onwards and upwards.”
In an official statement later at the bands website he wrote, “A huge thanks to our loyal fans and people who have supported us along our journey. I am eternally grateful for you, and the experiences we had as a band. We gave 100% in everything we did, and always said we would allow ourselves the space to grow as creative individuals. In this case, the growth was positive for the individual’s, but tough for the collective. The right thing to do was to grow apart. Even though it is sad to say goodbye, we hope it will lead to new beginnings for us all. I will continue my musical journey as a singer songwriter, aiming to record new material, and hit the stage over the southern hemisphere’s summer.”
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Baldridge takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, as the opening act for Montgomery Gentry. Tickets are $35 and $30.Online supplies a large range of double sided tape. Smiling like a man holding the winning Powerball ticket, Fair Manager John Rednour Jr. said Blackjack Billy is the one act in Nashville everyone seems to be betting on for immediate success. He couldn’t resist comparing them to Florida Georgia Line.
“They are high energy from the minute they take the stage,Metal Repair Aluminum foil tape Products is also excellent for metal.” Rednour said. “Everyone I talked to said they put on a great show. It’s a rockin’ event that is wide open. We were searching for variety in our overall entertainment package and this is a perfect fit. I can’t wait to see this one.”
Blackjack Billy is not signed to a major record label. Instead, the band’s popularity has been fueled by social media and methodically constructing a solid fan base through live shows. The key has been one incredibly popular song.
“The Booze Cruise” has been viewed more than 633,000 times on YouTube. Although it wasn’t released until March, it was still the highest selling song by an independent artist on iTunes during the first six months of 2013, reaching sales of more than 100,000 in the United States and topping 150,000 worldwide.
The group started as a duo in 2011, the brainchild of vocalists Noll Billings of Kennett, Mo., and Mississippi native Rob Blackledge. Billings had a publishing deal with the EMI Music Group and Blackledge was a student at the prestigious Belmont School of Music Business.
The duo swelled to a trio with the addition of electric guitarist Jeff Coplan, who played a huge role in piecing together the band Love and Theft and produced that group’s first album. Blackjack Billy became a five-piece unit with the addition of former Randy Houser drummer Brad Cummings and bass guitarist Patrick Cornell.
Baldridge is a graduate of nearby PatokaHigh School and attended KaskaskiaCommunity College, where he learned his heart was in country music, not academics. He started singing with the We Got It Covered Band last year, and his sexy baritone voice turned heads at the inaugural Southern Star singing competition in Marion.
In 2012, Baldridge migrated to Nashville and quickly started making high-level contacts that were impressed with his vocal and songwriting skills. He quickly passed an audition to perform at The Bluebird Café. In March, he signed a publishing deal with This Music, which is associated with the powerhouse Warner/Chappell Publishing.
It didn’t take long before he was off to Key West on songwriting junkets with major tunesmiths from MusicCity. He has received interest from several major labels and said he is still on the verge of signing. His material can be viewed on YouTube, including a live version of crowd favorite “B.Y.O.B.”
The 22-year-old is full of energy. He performed at the state fair in Springfield, went on a mission trip to Costa Rica with his home church and is now hitting the road hard. He has played shows in Chicago, Milwaukee and Taylorville in recent days.Blackjack Billy hits the stage at 10 p.m.Matco Packaging Llc suppliers of BOPP tape, in the beer tent, a virtual encore after playing the beer tent at 8 p.m. tonight, Aug. 29.
Montgomery Gentry made a strong statement to the country music world in 1999 with an opening one-two punch of “Hillbilly Shoes” and “Lonely and Gone,” which allowed them to win Top New Vocal or Group from the Academy of Country Music and Vocal Duo of the Year from the Country Music Association. Both awards were earned in 2000.
The duo has been cranking out hits for more than a decade, including tunes like “Gone,” “Something to Be Proud Of,” “Roll With Me,” “My Town” and “Back When I Knew It All.”
Eddie Montgomery formed a band in 1990 call Early Tymz, and Gentry was a member. When the band broke up, Gentry went on to win the Jim Beam National Talent Contest in 1994. Another Early Tymz member was Eddie’s brother, John Michael Montgomery, who later would achieve superstar status in the industry.
When Gentry failed to get a record deal as a solo artist, he went back to Lexington, Ky., and teamed up with Montgomery again. They started drawing huge crowds in a major metropolitan area and ultimately received and capitalized on a major recording contract.
Singer Luke Yeoward confirmed the break-up on Facebook stating, “Unfortunately the news is true, gang. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the support over the years. So many great experiences, great people, and great laugh’s along the journey. Life changing stuff, really. Massive love and respect to each and every one of you. Honestly. Onwards and upwards.”
In an official statement later at the bands website he wrote, “A huge thanks to our loyal fans and people who have supported us along our journey. I am eternally grateful for you, and the experiences we had as a band. We gave 100% in everything we did, and always said we would allow ourselves the space to grow as creative individuals. In this case, the growth was positive for the individual’s, but tough for the collective. The right thing to do was to grow apart. Even though it is sad to say goodbye, we hope it will lead to new beginnings for us all. I will continue my musical journey as a singer songwriter, aiming to record new material, and hit the stage over the southern hemisphere’s summer.”